80s jazz neck pickups
- Thread starter blues
- Start date
Aceman
I am your doctor of love!
So, I am biased here.
I believe that companies, on the whole, make pickups to sound the same as they ever did, unless someone has complained. Or they want to sell the same thing but updated (DiMarzio PAF 36, or Slash set) I don't know of any complaints about the Jazz.
I suspect that an 80s, 90s, 00s, 10, or 20s JB, if no one told you what it was, would all sound the same to you.
But, if you want to spend your time seeking out the potential (real or imagined) micro differences, you go for it.
I believe that companies, on the whole, make pickups to sound the same as they ever did, unless someone has complained. Or they want to sell the same thing but updated (DiMarzio PAF 36, or Slash set) I don't know of any complaints about the Jazz.
I suspect that an 80s, 90s, 00s, 10, or 20s JB, if no one told you what it was, would all sound the same to you.
But, if you want to spend your time seeking out the potential (real or imagined) micro differences, you go for it.
ehdwuld
A Ficus
The answer is it should sound the same as a new one
If you want the cream one
Buy that
It is no better or worse than the newer one
That isn't available in cream
freefrog
Well-known member
No experience with a SH2 from the 80's but I wouldn't be sure that it will sound like a new one: my Duncan humbuckers from the 80's don't sound exactly like more recent iterations albeit models names haven't changed - not to mention that I've got clearly different inductance measurements on SH2's from the 90's vs from this decade, for instance, although both had close DCR readings...
Now, I'm not sure either that it will / would sound that different compared to a Shaw, whose status of P.A.F. replica is more a claim than a reality (to wind them, Gibson did not use the kind of vintage correct wire recommended by Tim Shaw).
Now, I'm not sure either that it will / would sound that different compared to a Shaw, whose status of P.A.F. replica is more a claim than a reality (to wind them, Gibson did not use the kind of vintage correct wire recommended by Tim Shaw).
beaubrummels
Well-known member
I don't have an 80's version, but I have a Custom Shop 35th Anniversary and modern stock model and they pretty much sound the same. The 35th might be slightly woodier (just a little touch more in the warmer low mids), but essentially no one would tell the difference unless you sequentially installed them in the same guitar. And even with the slight difference, a bright or dark guitar or heavily saturated amp could mask the difference.
nienturi
Active member
I agree with you, man. What’s more, this whole thing—like spec changes over time—seems to happen even more with Duncan. I’ve got pickups made from the mid-’70s up to today, including some DiMarzios I’d even call vintage. I’ve sold or traded quite a few more, too. If I generalize, the spec variations with Duncans are way bigger than with DiMarzio. For example, an early-’90s PAF Pro and a 2-year-old PAF Pro match almost exactly, down to their individual coil DCRs and inductance. But a late-’80s/early-’90s MJ-wound Pearly Gates compared to a more recent one can differ by more than 0.5K in the same ambient temperature conditions. On the DiMarzio side, the biggest difference I’ve seen is that my early-’80s Super Distortion has about 1H more inductance than a current one.
Artie
Peaveyologist
I've never heard a Shaw, but the Jazz are fairly bright. (In a good way.) Some might call them "hi-fi." You can roll back treble, but you can't dial in frequencies that aren't there to begin with.
As for old vs new, I still have a copy of the old Duncan tone chart. Many of the DCR values don't match the modern posted value. Some are significantly different. But I don't know if it's rounding errors or design changes.
As for old vs new, I still have a copy of the old Duncan tone chart. Many of the DCR values don't match the modern posted value. Some are significantly different. But I don't know if it's rounding errors or design changes.
ehdwuld
A Ficus
someone will want it that bad
a used SD Pickup is what the market will bear
the Cream is the unique part of that
with the Dimarzio trademark thing and all
the fact its from the 80s doesnt make it rare
the cream bobbins make it more valuable
I agree $300 is a bit steep for me
you may be able to find an equivalent with cream bobbins on eBay
if cream is the look you want
Artie
Peaveyologist
That's crazy. A nice new one, with a return policy, is a 3rd of that price. As long as you can live with no double-cream. But zebra is nice. That's what my pair is.
(ehdwuld beat me to it.)
JamesPaul
Well-known member
My mid-80's Jazz is now in a LP. I had a mid-90's Jazz in a different LP, which I swapped for a 2007 SFC Jazz due to cosmetic reasons. I never notice(d) any difference which make me think, "I exclusively need 80's era Jazz pickups."
nienturi
Active member
I would certainly buy 2 used Jazz pickups: one zebra and one reverse zebra. Then one bobbin to one side, another to other side. Finally i would achieve one cream jazz and one black jazz. What would it cost in the US nowadays? I'm sure much less than 300 bucks, right? Soounds like a business plan
hamerfan
New member
I have a double black one. The sticker should say JMN like on mine, which stands for John Milner Neck - long story, just use the search function in this Forum.
And yes, mine also reads a bit lower at 7.2k.
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